Some may think that she was left with no other choice, but Maria Victoria Henao willingly stood by her drug lord husband, Pablo Escobar amid all the tribulations that befell their marriage, until the time of his death. Looking at the history of their marriage it was indeed love and nothing more that brought the two together. For those still not in the know, Maria Victoria Henao is the widow of late Colombian drug master, Pablo Escobar who was shot dead by the police in 1993.

Maria Victoria Henao and Pablo were married for 17 years during which she says she had no ample knowledge of her husband’s narcotics dealings. Although she enjoyed the classy and luxury life, after Escobar’s death, Maria Henoa was subjected to a seemingly displaced life having to move from place to place as a refugee in a bid to elude the attention of the public.

Maria Victoria Henao – Pablo Escobar’s Wife Biography

She was born in Colombia in 1961. Maria has two brothers Carlos Mario Henao Vallejo and Pastora Henao Bayen. One of her brothers was said to be a part of Pablo’s team during the early days of his illicit business. It was through her brother that Maria met Pablo, and they soon fell in love. Maria was still a teenager and Pablo in his twenties at the time. Given his poor background, Maria’s parents withheld their consent when the young lovebirds decided to tie the knot. Maria 15, and Pablo 27; drunk in love, made a drastic move and eloped in 1976 to do as they wished. They got married and had two children – their son Juan Pablo Escobar, born in 1977 and their daughter, Manuela Escobar born in 1984.

At the time, Escobar was employing all kinds of tricks and strategies in the drug business. With his shady dealings came series of extramarital affairs with different women. Pablo Escobar had lots of concubines and most of his affairs were well known by his wife. But Maria amid all this stood by her husband. She was a traditional family woman and didn’t deem extramarital affairs fit enough to break her marriage. Her decision to stay in the marriage has been interpreted by many to be out of despair and her addiction to the luxurious life she was already used to. More so, having eloped to marry the love of her life, she had no family to turn to.

Maria enjoyed a peaceful but troubled life until Pablo Escobar’s death in 1993. His death was followed by a confiscation of his assets and an intensive search for his wife Maria by the police. This left his wife and kids distressed, Maria had to flee Colombia. On the run from the police, she changed her name and those of her children several times in a bid to kill all connections to Pablo.

Maria Victoria Henao was eventually gripped by the police in 2000 and was charged with money laundering along with other drug-related crimes. She was also accused of covering up for Pablo and being involved in the business. But Maria maintained that she was unaware of his drug business. Pablo Escobar’s widow was freed after the police failed to provide proof. Her son Sebastian is a spokesperson, a lecturer, an architect, and an author. Her daughter Manuela lives a low profile life and does not grant interviews, neither is she active on social media.

Death, Cause of Death

After relocating to different countries, Maria Victoria later settled in Bueno Aires, Argentina with her children. She was rumored dead several times during her fleeing days but is very much alive.

For Pablo Escobar, he died on December 2, 1993, after he was shot by the police in a shootout. Pablo had been on a long hide and seek run with the DEA and the police from the 70s to the 90s when he was eventually pinned. It was indeed a joyous day for the authorities when the drug kingpin was shot dead. The story of Pablo Escobar was what inspired the Netflix’s hit drama series Narcos. The series based on the life of the drug kingpin was released in 2015 and was a massive hit.